Brendan Rodgers has employed the initial phases of preseason to evaluate a substantial number of Celtic’s youth players in Lennoxtown training and friendly matches.
Last Friday night, the manager employed a total of 23 players against Ayr United, and he followed this up with opportunities for 22 players to impress against Queen’s Park.
The second half of both matches has witnessed a significant influx of junior options from the club’s B team and U18s set-up, many of whom are largely unknown and untested.
On Wednesday evening, one of those adolescents experienced happiness. Francis Turley, who entered the contest as a substitute, made an exceptional contribution by scoring Celtic’s sixth and final goal in the 6-4 victory over the Spiders.
The 18-year-old, who was born in Belfast, is a developing talent in the Celtic B team and may now be granted additional opportunities in the senior squad after impressing Rodgers.
Brendan Rodgers singles out Francis Turley for commendation.
Rodgers was enthusiastic about the game during his interview with Celtic TV following the match, stating, “There were also some enjoyable moments.” None more so than the second half, when Francis Tuley, a juvenile player, entered the game.
“I have only noticed him in the past few days, and it is evident that he is a football player.” He possesses a natural inclination to enter the box and executes some remarkable feats with the ball. In that final half hour, I was exceedingly delighted for him.
Last season, Turley appeared in 16 matches for Celtic B after joining the Bhoys from Glentoran in 2022.
Turley, a Northern Ireland youth international who has represented his country at the U19 level, will now be a name to monitor within the Celtic set-up.
The young midfielder will have improved his prospects of being selected for Celtic’s USA tour, but it is probable that he will continue to make progress with the B side in the months ahead.
Rodgers has at least taken notice of him, which is the primary objective of all of these inexperienced players at this juncture of the summer.
Additionally, Brendan Rodgers, the manager, expressed his dissatisfaction with the manner in which his team applied pressure during the game, offering a candid evaluation of the situation following the match.
“As I previously stated, it is primarily about fitness, but there were also numerous aspects of the first half that I was dissatisfied with,” he stated (Celtic FC on YouTube).
“Especially in the case of certain individuals who should possess a more profound understanding of the game.” At halftime, we expressed that our pressuring was not at the level I would anticipate.
“You anticipate that there will be occasional minor errors and unfortunate incidents in the game; however, it is evident that we have a significant amount of work to do in terms of the pressing aspects of our game.”
Celtic will continue to enhance their performance in all areas as the preseason progresses and they accumulate more playing time.
DC United is the next opponent in the United States, and the Hoops have three more friendlies before the actual action begins.
The manager will anticipate that his team will have made significant progress in preparation for the match that will take place one week from Saturday, as the level of competition begins to escalate.
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